Why You Need To Get Into SEO Right Now

Why You Need To Get Into SEO Right Now

In 5 years time, every man and his dog will be on the internet. Most of them already are. My generation is the last one to remember a time before computers AND to see in the digital future.

Not to mention the coming generations. My 8 year old can already do better Excel spreadsheets than me, and I’m pretty sure that’s based on a single 30-minute class last week.

Soon I’ll be a digital dinosaur.

But enough of my woes. What i’m really saying here is that every sized business will be on the internet in a very short time. Sites - and their owners - will become more and more savvy about reaching new audiences, attracting clients, keeping attentions for longer.

Right now, the system is pretty simplistic. You hop onto Google, type in your search term and pick one of the top 10 ten search results, probably the one with the coolest name.

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Any business that doesn’t make it on the top 10 (ie the first page) still has a relative chance of being found, depending on the tenacity of the searcher.

But how long is it likely to stay like that? The competition for getting onto page 1 is immense. And with so many savvy newcomers coming on the scene every day, it’s only going to get harder.

Us digital dinosaurs have the upper hand at the moment. We grew up as the internet evolved and we learned right along with it.

But our domain is short.

That’s why you need to start understanding even the basics of SEO right now.

Don’t rely on plugins like Yoast to manage your site SEO without having the faintest idea how it works. Get your web designer to show you how to edit page titles and descriptions on your site. Take control over your website.

I’ve written several blog posts about SEO. They’re all awesome (naturally) but it’s a constantly-evolving field. The basics stay much the same but algorithms change and so do the tactics.

The more you understand, the better able you are to cherry pick what works for your business.

So, do a course or two like Kate Toon’s rocking good Recipe For SEO Success.

Keep tabs on SEO blogs like Moz, GotchaSEO, Search Engine Journal and Search Engine Land.

And start planning your own site SEO.

Pick some keywords that you want your site to rank for. Incorporate those keywords into your page content - headings, main text, and blog posts. Start writing blog posts around your keywords.

RELATED POST: How to: Set Up Keywords That Will Rock Your Website SEO

See what your competitors are doing. Drop your site into any number of free or trial SEO review sites like Woorank or SEMrush and see where the red flags are.

Download my free SEO Cheat Sheet and see how you can score easy SEO points on your website.

Remember, be alert, not alarmed! But take it from me and get some learning under your belt. SEO is a game changer and can easily be the difference between a business that survives, and one that doesn’t.

What’s been your experience with SEO?

About the author: Lilani Goonesena is a freelance communications specialist for small businesses and organisations, based in Canberra. She works on Squarespace web design, SEO content and digital marketing strategy. And she writes an awesome Tuesday newsletter on digital marketing, social media, blogging, web design and "all that online stuff".